James: What You Do Mattersनमूना

One of my best friends is a dental hygienist, and she has taught me the importance of examining the tongue and mouth for overall health. She says that one of the big roles of dentists is to keep an eye out for signs of sickness in other parts of the body. For example, a bright strawberry tongue can be a sign of scarlet fever. A lump on the tongue that doesn’t go away may be a sign of oral cancer. If your tongue suddenly becomes large, it may point to an infection. Whenever she cleans someone’s teeth, she’s not just looking for cavities or gum disease, she’s looking for so much more.

Just as the mouth can reveal what’s going on in our physical bodies, what we say can reveal what’s going on in our spiritual lives. All too often, when I snap back at someone or respond with a microaggression of words, I think—either right then, or sometime later—I shouldn't have said that. In the reading today James challenges us to think deeper and ask, “What’s going on inside?”

James paints a picture of how we can use our tongues for good and evil. One morning we may attend church and lift words of praise alongside God’s people. By afternoon, once we’ve left the building and responded bitterly to being cut off in traffic, we’re using the same tongue to destroy God’s people. When we tear another down with our words, we aren’t just ripping into them. We’re ripping into the God who made them, whose image is displayed in them.

Here’s the really good news: Even though you’ll never be able to tame your tongue on your own, you can always do it with God’s help.

You can begin using your words more wisely. You can take a breath and offer up a prayer before you speak. You can learn to hold your tongue. You can begin giving others the benefit of the doubt (even when they drive super slowly and you’re in a rush!). You can also make Proverbs 10:21 your prayer: “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.”

Today, ask God to make every word you speak a gift of nourishment for others. Ask God for your words to speak life, bring healing, and lift others in love.